Tips to help graduates survive (and thrive) in the job market jungle

Thursday

Jun 13, 2013 at 9:00 AMJun 13, 2013 at 9:39 AM

The hiring landscape facing recent college grads may be inhospitable, with an April poll showing more than half the college graduates admitting to having difficulty in finding a job. But authors Coach Micheal J. Burt and Colby B. Jubenville share tactics to help graduates create a best-odds scenario for acing interviews and landing a job.

Here’s one of them based on a show and tell strategy:

Show up in person (and early) when you can. While it may seem obvious, this point is worth underscoring: Now that you’ve secured an interview, don’t screw it up by being late. (And keep in mind that in these kinds of situations, “on time” is tantamount to “late.”) Arriving at your interview with plenty of time to spare is just good common sense, but most importantly, it’s the first in-person opportunity for you to show your potential employer that you’re hungry, committed, and motivated.

“I can’t overstate how important first impressions are,” Jubenville says. “If you walk into that interview room late (or even frazzled and out of breath after dashing in from the parking lot), it doesn’t matter how firm your handshake is or how impressively you’re able to discuss your résumé. You have already sent the signal that you’ll be a weak member of the herd. The one always lagging behind. And since the weakest member of the herd is usually the first to be picked off by predators, why go to the trouble of hiring you in the first place?”